Culinary extravaganza is great Taste of Newton

By Laurie Gordon
NEWTON — A culinary extravaganza took to the streets of Newton on Monday night as area restaurateurs showcased their talent at the 15th Annual Taste of Newton. Spring Street turned into what looked like a thoroughfare out of a movie with small white lanterns lighting the way as people mingled, chatted and sampled all kinds of delectable creations.
Hosted by the Greater Newton Chamber of Commerce, proceeds from the ticket sales for the event, which were $50 in advance and $60 on Monday night, will to fund a scholarship that is awarded to area students entering the field of culinary arts.
Desiree and Tony Torre were busy handing out samples of the eclectic, always fresh cuisine they sell at Plates, a BYOB restaurant near the theater. “This is a great chance to show the community what we have to offer,” Tony Torre said. Plates is a go-to destination for family dinners and is very popular before and after shows at the Newton Theater. “We feature a special buffet on those nights so people can get in and out to the show,” Torre added.
Tracey deWaal was busily handing out samples of their extraordinary cuisine while her husband, Chef Andre deWaal was working on his entry into something new at Taste of Newton this year: The Chef's Basket Challenge. A la “Chopped,” which is a show on the Food Network, participating chefs were given the same four ingredients: goat's cheese, apple, Taylor ham, and... Gummie Bears.
“I'm calling it the Taylor Heribo Gyzo,” Chef deWaal said. “I didn't want to use any names from the ingredients, so I got creative."
And creative he got, rolling the ingredients into round pastries and adding a creamy sauce for a very unique creation. The overall champion of the challenge was Hayek's Market.
“We love Taste of Newton,” Tracey deWaal said. “It's always a beautiful evening out and a chance to see other restaurant owners.” The deWaals own Andre's Restaurant on Seneca Lake in Sparta.
Two new kids on the block this year included The Buck Hill Brewery & Restaurant (located on Route 94 in Blairstown) and Mi Rancho Mexican Grill (195 Spring Street, Newton).
“We're the new guys in the area, and it's great to be out here showing people what we have,” said Buck Hill's executive chef, Brett Carrier. “We're locally oriented and since we opened, we've been really busy.” The restaurant's owner, Jay Mena, said, “This is a great event for a great cause. We're a farm to table concept at Buck Hill, so we farm our own hops.” The restaurant is open for business and the brewery is slated to open any day.
Lazaro Gionzales, owner of Mi Rancho said, “When the town asked us to come out, we were happy to do so. We've been open for 11 months, and business is great.” He said that, though eat in is doing well, it's Mi Rancho's take out that is super popular.
Dave Cooper, the brewer at Krogh's Restaurant & Brew Pub, in Sparta, was on hand to hand out samples of their craft beer. “It's great to be out here and also to let people know about our new brewery which will be opening on Patterson Street, in Newton, in October,” he said.
The crowd mingled through the many restaurants represented, taking samples of this and that, meeting and talking to the chefs while being regaled by the music of Unsung Heros, a Sussex County band that played in the middle of the street near the Fire Museum.
“This is a great night and a great event,” said Peter Freund, owner of Cliff's Ice Cream. Though his store is based in Ledgewood, he's no stranger to Sussex County, attending this and Project Self-Sufficiency's tasting every year and selling his ice cream at Hayek's Market, in Newton. Freund was giving out samples of Peanut Butter Smores, Oreo Cheesecake, Crooked Cookie and Toffee Talk ice creams. He did reveal the fall flavors will be out soon including Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potato Pie and a cinnamon inspired Sticky Bun ice cream.